Vinny opened his palm, leaving it on the mattress by my face.
“You said no,” he continued. “You pulled back. That’s it. We stop. No punishment. No disappointment. Nofuckingmark.”
The words didn’t land all at once. They settled, one by one, heavy and unfamiliar.
My hand hovered just above his, before falling into his palm. Vinny’s fingers closed around mine, and it was then I realized just how shaky I was.
Benji shifted again. “Boss, youneedto mark her.”
“And you need to get the fuck out of my room,” Vinny snarled.
Benji went still for half a second. Then he exhaled through his nose, and lifted his hands in surrender.
“Okay, boss,” he said, sliding off the bed.
On his way out the door, he grabbed his discarded jacket and apron and gave me one last glance. His eyes looked apologetic, but his expression was hard. He gave me a small nod as he left, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.
The room felt different without him, but I couldn’t place why.
Vinny didn’t move right away, instead he stared at me.
“With Benji gone, doyoustill want sex?” he asked. “Not for me, for you.”
I paused, actually having to mull the question over. My cunt dully throbbed with the disappointment of almost getting laid, and I assumed this was what blue balls felt like, so I nodded.
Vinny’s gaze dropped to our joined hands then he looked back up, and something shifted in his expression. It wasn’t heat, or possession, not exactly. Instead, it was closer to understanding.
“Lie back,” he said softly. “I’m gonna help you, but I’m not gonna fuck you.”
My brows lifted.
“You want to come, and I’m going to make it happen, it’s what alpha’s do.” He gave a crooked half-smile. “But, I’m not going to risk you backing out when my knot is stuck in your pussy.”
My brows lifted higher, but I didn’t argue.
Vinny eased lower on the bed like a man whoknewexactly what he was doing and wasn’t about to rush the process.
His eyes never left mine, even as his hand slid along my thigh.
“Legs up, Little Lamb,” he ordered.
I paused, unsure how I felt about the nickname.
It felt diminutive, just like Logan’sLittle Dove, but the way Vinny said it made me feel as if I were something to cherish, not devour. In a way, it made me feelchoseninstead oftrapped.
I met his gaze, heat simmering low in my belly. My thighs tensed beneath his palms.
“Problem?” he asked, “Do you not like the pet name?”
I thought about lying.
But instead, my legs slid up slowly, knees falling open, my dress sliding higher
I don’t know yet. Say it again.I signed.
Vinny’s grin turned wolfish.
“Oh,Little Lamb,” he murmured, dragging his mouth along the inside of my thigh, “you’re gonna getusedto hearing it when you’re like this.”
